How do the closest people in your life become strangers one day? They can your best of friends, pals, buddy, cousins, siblings or someone you just knew….. How do we get tied to our daily routine and life so much that we ideally stop caring? The bizarre thing is that the one with whom you could talk endlessly or discuss everything going on in your life suddenly before you even realize it, is gone. The whole feeling that someone is there for you always no matter what happens is gone for once and for all. It never goes back to normal ever again.
How is it that people that you love to talk to suddenly you don’t know what to say, you fall short of words? People with whom you could talk endlessly or maybe even fall asleep while talking to them …..and without whom you could not imagine not talking at least once a day suddenly become busy with their own lives. Why do we change? Is that we become selfish? Is it by choice? Weird right?
It’s uncanny as all the best cousins of my generation whom I was very close to, have become distant to me. And next generation of young cousins with their zeal and enthusiasm for life, just start to fill in. for a dream to do great in life or may be trying to become someone like you. Their unconditional love amazes me as they have never seen me nor do they know me in person. All they know is what they hear from everyone around.
It might be wrong to blame someone, and I am not complaining. It’s just that I feel sad about this transformation. I have seen relationships turning form good, bad to ugly. Who is responsible? Even if you want to blame some, what will change? Will you get your innocent days back? Even if we blame our work schedules and hectic life styles, will things change?
How is it that the best of friends just move on?
I just wrote this blog to remind you of all the lovely people with whom you have had some of the best moments of your life, shared your best fears and dreams. Give yourself a minute to relish and relive some of the moments when you can……………it’s just a call away :)
Happy Friendship’s Day!!!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Why is FaceBook losing its FaCEE ???
“FaceBook” – a revolution in the history of all social networking sites. It took everyone by surprise, and was popular among all generations. Everyone wanted to reunite with old friends, colleagues, and with anyone with whom they had lost touch. ‘Orkut’ accounts (a famous social networking site by google) died a slow death as everybody around was getting attracted and finally addicted to facebook (FB). You could see people spending a lot of time on facebook. I am not complaining, I joined it myself after a lot of tussle about not joining FB…and then one fine day I was like “what is all the hype about FB? Let me see.” I joined and then there was no looking back. FB was very well placed keeping the target market in view and the promotion of FB was more than just cheap publicity stunts. It was more of an experience sharing than just having an account. It is fun posting some silly status message and getting in an argument with friends. Sharing pictures and videos just became easy. It came with so many funny applications that you could spend a whole day on FB by just trying out these applications. It was becoming a vital part of our daily routine. There was always some good posting to begin your day, to update your friends and definitely a lot of fun. It definitely marked an era of “FaceBookers” :)
However, every coin has two sides and so does FB. Youngsters of today get bored with the same things. I mean we all love innovation, something new. First we use a new thing, explore it very well and then exploit it to the best of its and ours capacity and when we are done with it…we look for something new, something more challenging…. It makes me wonder how difficult it is to keep up with the market needs and keep the end-user satisfied. We want things to be simple to use but at the same time we want to feel that rush of excitement every time we use it.
Everyone was talking about how cool FB is and all. So there was a rush of parents joining FB with an added intention of keeping tabs on their kids. It was good to see parents trying to know their kids and what they have been up to these days or was it that they just wanted to make sure their kids are not in to any funny business? I am sure not many kids were happy with parent’s intrusion in their personal space. Was it only for parents, our generation would have survived. But all the relatives followed the trend. Everyone wanted to keep up with what’s happening with others be it cousin or a distant friend or may be a neighbor? All wanted to be well informed hence everyone joined in a race to add as many friends as they can. I guess everyone uses FB to be in touch with our friends, but when you look at your account you will see all kinds of categories like family, relatives, not-ever-met friends, and some people from the gym, then your colleagues from work or maybe your boss. And then, there will be your friend’s friend’s friend’s who will be very interested in you. Even if you try telling them a couple number of times that I don’t add many people as friends as it’s my personal space, some will get offended. And believe me I won’t be surprised if you tell me that your grocery store fellow also sent you a friend request. But why do we need him or any such people in our FB accounts. Is it networking? I don’t think I need to network with the grocery store or a vegetable vendor or even some random person I don’t know.
Now, moving on the applications provided in FB. There is a lot of variety from some random quizzes to online astrological predictions. Just 2-3 months back, all I could see in updates was Anita predictions, love predictions, some psychic reading and believe me it was so irritating…… isn’t it really silly how even if we know nothing will happen we still use it. I guess we all have used and abused it enough for now. May be we need a break or is it that FB is losing its charm………..
I intended to keep it a short one but I guess FB deserved more :P
Hope you guys enjoy it :)
However, every coin has two sides and so does FB. Youngsters of today get bored with the same things. I mean we all love innovation, something new. First we use a new thing, explore it very well and then exploit it to the best of its and ours capacity and when we are done with it…we look for something new, something more challenging…. It makes me wonder how difficult it is to keep up with the market needs and keep the end-user satisfied. We want things to be simple to use but at the same time we want to feel that rush of excitement every time we use it.
Everyone was talking about how cool FB is and all. So there was a rush of parents joining FB with an added intention of keeping tabs on their kids. It was good to see parents trying to know their kids and what they have been up to these days or was it that they just wanted to make sure their kids are not in to any funny business? I am sure not many kids were happy with parent’s intrusion in their personal space. Was it only for parents, our generation would have survived. But all the relatives followed the trend. Everyone wanted to keep up with what’s happening with others be it cousin or a distant friend or may be a neighbor? All wanted to be well informed hence everyone joined in a race to add as many friends as they can. I guess everyone uses FB to be in touch with our friends, but when you look at your account you will see all kinds of categories like family, relatives, not-ever-met friends, and some people from the gym, then your colleagues from work or maybe your boss. And then, there will be your friend’s friend’s friend’s who will be very interested in you. Even if you try telling them a couple number of times that I don’t add many people as friends as it’s my personal space, some will get offended. And believe me I won’t be surprised if you tell me that your grocery store fellow also sent you a friend request. But why do we need him or any such people in our FB accounts. Is it networking? I don’t think I need to network with the grocery store or a vegetable vendor or even some random person I don’t know.
Now, moving on the applications provided in FB. There is a lot of variety from some random quizzes to online astrological predictions. Just 2-3 months back, all I could see in updates was Anita predictions, love predictions, some psychic reading and believe me it was so irritating…… isn’t it really silly how even if we know nothing will happen we still use it. I guess we all have used and abused it enough for now. May be we need a break or is it that FB is losing its charm………..
I intended to keep it a short one but I guess FB deserved more :P
Hope you guys enjoy it :)
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
End of a Fantastic Era!!!!!
The decade of 2000 is coming to an end….I just can’t believe it’s getting over. This decade has a special significance in my life, as it began with setting me free. I was like a bird that had just left the coziness of her home. I can still relate to that feeling when I was leaving, some mixed feelings – happy but gloomy, excited but some unknown apprehensions. From the time I had my senses, I somehow knew that I will be an engineer and I was moving a step closer to my dream. I knew dreaming is so easy, but didn’t know it comes with its own share of efforts and risks that might turn out to be a success or failure. So the beginning of this decade was a beginning of a new chapter in my life…..a chapter full of dreams, passions, explorations…….
As this era is coming to an end, my head feels great to see all the achievements, findings, wisdom I gained over these crucial years of my life and I’m looking forward to the next level in the new decade. Lots of lessons learnt, moments to cherish, accomplishments to celebrate, failures to remember, and tons of thoughts to put in but I don’t know where to start. The crux of all the things I have seen over the last 10 years is that if you really want something in life you will get it. You might get surprised when God decides to give you more than you wanted and the funny thing is even when you get it, you will be thinking what next…… This has happened to me many times; I wanted to be an engineer, and when I became one I was like, but there is so much more to learn. I so wanted to get into IIT, but when I was in, I was like that’s ok but what next? It’s like as soon as you achieve a goal, your mind has already set some new goals.
I was always fascinated with research, so when I got into the kind of place I was looking for, it’s a great feeling. Time just flies when you are working…. Fridays and Mondays are all you count and then months, years go by. Especially, if you love what you are doing. It’s a new concept of R&D, a new dimension to research…. It’s not a fruitless research, its smart work, an element of research with market analysis, business development and a great deal of project management..... makes it a deadly combination. Moreover, solving problems with people from different backgrounds in the same room and troubleshooting the problem is just mind blowing. You will actually be surprised to see how efficiently a problem disappears and a solution appears. I mean just a different perspective on the problem solves it, it’s really incredible. I’m amazed as to how a single problem can be solved in ‘n’ number of ways. The working generation of today is very comfortable with brainstorming sessions, I personally love these sessions. It’s phenomenal to see people from different backgrounds coming together and solving a problem. I mean literally putting their heads together to solve a common problem. I have seen problems getting solved in just a few seconds, if not solved at least we know it’s not a dead end, there are many ways out there to try out. Seeing everyone in the group having a different perspective is very exciting. It always gives you more alternatives to look for. I love the power of brain storming and I surely love the energy it brings in with it.
I have always loved what I do but there are times when I get frustrated, times when I want to give up, times when everything goes wrong, but I just manage to gear up strength and decide to fight back, and once I have decided I fight back hard, there is no looking back. Believe me nothing is impossible in life as long as you don’t give up. Life will never be easy you will just have to keep fighting and find your way. I remember a poem I read in school “be like a stream of water that is never scared of heights or obstructions on the way, it just makes its own way to reach the destination”
So true…..
So everybody out there, don’t be afraid to do something new, different and exploit all your hobbies… all that you always wanted to do but could not, due to something or the other. Life is very short, so exploit everything, every hobby, and even craft some new ones………. make it an adventure. I have come so far only because I was never afraid of trying something new, something different and I feel contented when I look back………….
As this era is coming to an end, my head feels great to see all the achievements, findings, wisdom I gained over these crucial years of my life and I’m looking forward to the next level in the new decade. Lots of lessons learnt, moments to cherish, accomplishments to celebrate, failures to remember, and tons of thoughts to put in but I don’t know where to start. The crux of all the things I have seen over the last 10 years is that if you really want something in life you will get it. You might get surprised when God decides to give you more than you wanted and the funny thing is even when you get it, you will be thinking what next…… This has happened to me many times; I wanted to be an engineer, and when I became one I was like, but there is so much more to learn. I so wanted to get into IIT, but when I was in, I was like that’s ok but what next? It’s like as soon as you achieve a goal, your mind has already set some new goals.
I was always fascinated with research, so when I got into the kind of place I was looking for, it’s a great feeling. Time just flies when you are working…. Fridays and Mondays are all you count and then months, years go by. Especially, if you love what you are doing. It’s a new concept of R&D, a new dimension to research…. It’s not a fruitless research, its smart work, an element of research with market analysis, business development and a great deal of project management..... makes it a deadly combination. Moreover, solving problems with people from different backgrounds in the same room and troubleshooting the problem is just mind blowing. You will actually be surprised to see how efficiently a problem disappears and a solution appears. I mean just a different perspective on the problem solves it, it’s really incredible. I’m amazed as to how a single problem can be solved in ‘n’ number of ways. The working generation of today is very comfortable with brainstorming sessions, I personally love these sessions. It’s phenomenal to see people from different backgrounds coming together and solving a problem. I mean literally putting their heads together to solve a common problem. I have seen problems getting solved in just a few seconds, if not solved at least we know it’s not a dead end, there are many ways out there to try out. Seeing everyone in the group having a different perspective is very exciting. It always gives you more alternatives to look for. I love the power of brain storming and I surely love the energy it brings in with it.
I have always loved what I do but there are times when I get frustrated, times when I want to give up, times when everything goes wrong, but I just manage to gear up strength and decide to fight back, and once I have decided I fight back hard, there is no looking back. Believe me nothing is impossible in life as long as you don’t give up. Life will never be easy you will just have to keep fighting and find your way. I remember a poem I read in school “be like a stream of water that is never scared of heights or obstructions on the way, it just makes its own way to reach the destination”
So true…..
So everybody out there, don’t be afraid to do something new, different and exploit all your hobbies… all that you always wanted to do but could not, due to something or the other. Life is very short, so exploit everything, every hobby, and even craft some new ones………. make it an adventure. I have come so far only because I was never afraid of trying something new, something different and I feel contented when I look back………….
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thoughts,Thoughts & more Confused Thoughts!!!!
A small thought triggers a train of thoughts….. It’s rightly said a female’s brain is full of complexities. True very true, and why not, she has so much to worry about. So many things in her head, too much to manage and create a balance among all the people she loves or cares for. For the woman of today, she has to manage a career, love, life and the most challenging part - managing people, their thoughts, pleasing everyone around… that is really a tough task. There is a thin line between good and bad thoughts. Ideally there shouldn’t be any difference as these thoughts come from our head. But there are some things we don’t want to think about ever, and we want to live some thoughts again and again.
No matter how hard you try, stupid things come back to you in life. No matter how much you want to forget certain things in life, they still haunt you. Every one commits mistakes; everyone fails at one point or the other….. But life doesn’t stop, it moves on and on. And for once when we think we have got over it, just then it comes back and makes you realize that it’s not over :( why do we have such movements…. Why can’t the past decently burry itself, why does it have to come back and bite you there, where it hurts the most…..
I know life’s not fair, it never was. When we have everything, when we are happy, focused and when we have made up my mind and we know what we want……… why do decisions still flicker? Why do we need to think again? Why do we always weigh the right and wrong of things? Why do we have conflicting thoughts? Why do we at times fight with our own thoughts…… why can’t we decide or be firm on certain things when we know exactly what we want?
What does it mean – “I have everything but I’m not happy?” Is there something like that. Are people really happy when they say so or when they look happy? I’m not sure……………even if your future looks bright…certain things might surprise, shock, stun or sadden you. You may want to go back in time and change what you did? But why, you wanted all that…. Why are we so confused? Why do we want something so badly and then decide otherwise? Why does it happen? What are we thinking or why do we think so much? Why do we keep cribbing/ whining? Why can’t we be happy with what we have? Why don’t we feel good about simple things in life? Why do we unnecessarily complicate things in our life? I guess it has become a way of life….. nobody wants to take a chance, I mean why take a chance… everyone wants to be sure…..sure of what they have…..and they keep planning and planning…….but how much can you plan? Is everything in our hands? No…..we don’t live in a no man’s land.
Hey, don’t get upset after reading the blog. I know most of you have these thoughts every day. I’m just trying to clear out some thoughts in my head as Joe’s says “I’m organizing my thoughts.” :)
No matter how hard you try, stupid things come back to you in life. No matter how much you want to forget certain things in life, they still haunt you. Every one commits mistakes; everyone fails at one point or the other….. But life doesn’t stop, it moves on and on. And for once when we think we have got over it, just then it comes back and makes you realize that it’s not over :( why do we have such movements…. Why can’t the past decently burry itself, why does it have to come back and bite you there, where it hurts the most…..
I know life’s not fair, it never was. When we have everything, when we are happy, focused and when we have made up my mind and we know what we want……… why do decisions still flicker? Why do we need to think again? Why do we always weigh the right and wrong of things? Why do we have conflicting thoughts? Why do we at times fight with our own thoughts…… why can’t we decide or be firm on certain things when we know exactly what we want?
What does it mean – “I have everything but I’m not happy?” Is there something like that. Are people really happy when they say so or when they look happy? I’m not sure……………even if your future looks bright…certain things might surprise, shock, stun or sadden you. You may want to go back in time and change what you did? But why, you wanted all that…. Why are we so confused? Why do we want something so badly and then decide otherwise? Why does it happen? What are we thinking or why do we think so much? Why do we keep cribbing/ whining? Why can’t we be happy with what we have? Why don’t we feel good about simple things in life? Why do we unnecessarily complicate things in our life? I guess it has become a way of life….. nobody wants to take a chance, I mean why take a chance… everyone wants to be sure…..sure of what they have…..and they keep planning and planning…….but how much can you plan? Is everything in our hands? No…..we don’t live in a no man’s land.
Hey, don’t get upset after reading the blog. I know most of you have these thoughts every day. I’m just trying to clear out some thoughts in my head as Joe’s says “I’m organizing my thoughts.” :)
Monday, November 15, 2010
My Madly MAIDly Woes!!!!
You might think it’s such a silly topic to write about, but it’s not. Ask all the ladies in the house, they will tell you how miserable life becomes when your maid (or bai as we call her here) doesn’t turn up on time or she misses a day. I am sure you all will concur with me about the importance of a bai. I already have a full fledged blog dedicated to a bai. :D
I had attended a “Hasya Kavi Samelan” when I was in IIT and the famous poet ‘Surinder Sharma’ said something like “a wife will compromise with anyone be it a sabziwala, or shopkeeper, or watchman, or cleaner and the most important of all the “bai” but she will never compromise with her husband”. As uncanny as it sounds, I guess it’s true.
We all are so set in our ways these days and are highly dependent on our bai’s schedule that we manage ours with her. Even if you pay her well, feed her well, and support her well….there will still be no end to your worries. All you think before going to bed is “will she come tomorrow?”, “will she come on time?”, and “will she finish her work before 9 “….. and it goes on and on…..And if you happen to be a cleanliness freak, then your life will surely be miserable. No matter how good or bad your bai is.
I have been in Pune for almost 2 yrs now and I might have changed 4-5 bai’s till now. Some work well, some have time issues, some don’t come every day……and the worst of all; they will ditch you when you need them the most. I have realized it whenever my parents or friends visit me, my bai goes berserk. She will just decide to either go sick or will have urgent family issues to attend to.
When you will want her to clean properly and even if you are actually working with her she will be in a hurry to rush things. Other times when you are in a hurry to rush to office she will try and clean every nook of your place. You can imagine how irritating it is…….and that too if you have an important meeting to attend to. Plus if you have an encounter with your bai early morning, all the frustration/ stress flows in your work routine. But isn’t it that we all have a bai to help us with a lot of things so that we can relax and have a bit stress free life…. … but is that so…….. the answer is a big fat NO.
Even if you try and understand her issues and are sympathetic, it will never work…… I guess we all have a lot of worries of our own. I’m most of the times managing 1 million things in my life and I surely don’t get paid to do everything even if I do everything perfect (may be some almost perfect). Life is funny….As a kid our parents always told us ‘Do good and you will have good’…………. These sayings don’t work in today’s world, especially when it comes to a bai.
I know some of you must be thinking I’m crazy as I am writing about it, but I’m having a tough time with my bai these days so I just wanted to vent it out.
I had attended a “Hasya Kavi Samelan” when I was in IIT and the famous poet ‘Surinder Sharma’ said something like “a wife will compromise with anyone be it a sabziwala, or shopkeeper, or watchman, or cleaner and the most important of all the “bai” but she will never compromise with her husband”. As uncanny as it sounds, I guess it’s true.
We all are so set in our ways these days and are highly dependent on our bai’s schedule that we manage ours with her. Even if you pay her well, feed her well, and support her well….there will still be no end to your worries. All you think before going to bed is “will she come tomorrow?”, “will she come on time?”, and “will she finish her work before 9 “….. and it goes on and on…..And if you happen to be a cleanliness freak, then your life will surely be miserable. No matter how good or bad your bai is.
I have been in Pune for almost 2 yrs now and I might have changed 4-5 bai’s till now. Some work well, some have time issues, some don’t come every day……and the worst of all; they will ditch you when you need them the most. I have realized it whenever my parents or friends visit me, my bai goes berserk. She will just decide to either go sick or will have urgent family issues to attend to.
When you will want her to clean properly and even if you are actually working with her she will be in a hurry to rush things. Other times when you are in a hurry to rush to office she will try and clean every nook of your place. You can imagine how irritating it is…….and that too if you have an important meeting to attend to. Plus if you have an encounter with your bai early morning, all the frustration/ stress flows in your work routine. But isn’t it that we all have a bai to help us with a lot of things so that we can relax and have a bit stress free life…. … but is that so…….. the answer is a big fat NO.
Even if you try and understand her issues and are sympathetic, it will never work…… I guess we all have a lot of worries of our own. I’m most of the times managing 1 million things in my life and I surely don’t get paid to do everything even if I do everything perfect (may be some almost perfect). Life is funny….As a kid our parents always told us ‘Do good and you will have good’…………. These sayings don’t work in today’s world, especially when it comes to a bai.
I know some of you must be thinking I’m crazy as I am writing about it, but I’m having a tough time with my bai these days so I just wanted to vent it out.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Konkan Calling Again!!! - Part III
Once again a beautiful sunrise to wake us up. We soaked in all the energy as it was a long day……. grabbed some delicious upma for breakfast and left for Vijaydurg. Vijaydurg has a very famous fort that is 800 years old. You might be thinking there would be only some remains left now, but you will be surprised to see the whole fort. It is a wonderful fort on the shoreline of Arabian Sea, and is surrounded by water on three sides. It stands still with all the glory that it has seen over all these years. Our guide gave us a lot of history lessons about this place; I can hardly recollect all but some facts were just awesome. What engineering, architecture, strategy and planning of the whole fort!!! I was stunned. The fort had everything from rain-water harvesting to food grain storage to ammunition storage. It also had an administration wing, entertainment wing, conference rooms, officer’s quarters, horse stables, hidden passages and temples. The fort has 27 bastions including some attacking bastions. Their attacking strategy and security planning just amazed us. Their planning tools and the fore-sightedness was just remarkable. I’m amazed and sad at the same time because many of us have not even heard about this place. I don’t know why the government or any concerned agency is not talking enough steps to promote and preserve such rich heritage that we should be proud of.
Sitting near the flag post you can clearly see the beautiful sea and at the same time keep a watch on most of the doors. The architecture of the place is just awesome. Everything is well done, arches, pillars, etc. It was very interesting to know the way arches are made as there is no support for the arch. So our guide told us that they made some kind of grooves in what is called a “key stone” as it holds all the stones in the arch. Its unbelievable how advanced and intelligent architects would have been those, with such a limited expertise and resources, it’s just incredible.
The whole trip to the fort was just phenomenal. Just near the fort as we came out, there was an old ship dockyard so we went to have a look. As soon as I saw it I was wondering how marine corrosion would have affected it over the years… (I guess that’s what research does to you, you think so much about the influence of the surroundings… all I could think about was the marine environment and its effect on the MOC (material of construction) of the ship… this environment had all deadly combinations for corrosion to eat away all the metal. :)
While coming back from the fort we visited one of the oldest temple known as “Rameshwar temple”, it’s relatively more than 800 years old. It was a downhill walk on very old stones for stairs. It was an experience in itself as we going in such an ancient temple. As you enter the premises of the temple there were lamp stags. Once you enter the temple could see the old wooden pillars on which the whole temple roof rested. These beautiful pillars had gorgeous designs, colors, and arches… The outer walls of the temple had paintings that portrayed some old mythological stories, the story of evil versus good…… mighty Gods fighting the demons….. Even if some paints were distorted or damaged, I was wondering as to what colors they had used that could last so long….. Why didn’t it get washed away over all these years?
Going back home from the temple was a long drive and we were literally starving….. So as soon as we reached home we were served with delicious lunch…….. :) Today’s lunch was special as Mr. Loke cooked it himself….and it was delicious fish varieties… yummy. Lunch had some fried fish “Tambosi” and a richer malvani fish curry of “Saundala”. It was just too delicious as I couldn’t stop eating. The fried fish had like a thousand thorns but it was obviously extremely tastier: P After having a delicious lunch we went to rest for a while and then proceeded to the “mithbav” beach again to see sunset ;) but this time we decided no cameras, no shell collecting and just relaxing and walking on the beach…….
It was slight breeze along with the melodious sound of waves in the sea that had a calming effect. It had a rejuvenating effect on all the souls in the world. It’s strange as these soothing waves also have a massive power of destroying everything…….. Nature has amazing wonderings and secrets of its own….. I’m so speechless to describe the beauty of the beach in the late evening when, all I am doing is lying down on the beach or taking a long quite walk on the beach. And the only thing that gets you back to reality is those scary crabs or those tingling tadpoles or something like that :P It was a funny feeling….you can’t actually see the tadpoles because they are transparent… it feels just like some jelly that moves on your skin, all you feel is a transparent thing moving but you can’t see them clearly……. It was a bit cloudy but the sunset was beautiful, and the sea was getting quieter as if saying goodbye to the sun. We sat there for some time and then went back to our home stay.
We packed up our things and got ready for dinner and then to leave for “Kankavali” to catch our bus back home. Dinner was served and the parting dinner was equally awesome…… :) I had a mouthwatering fish starter “Saranga” and a spicier malvani fish curry “Surmai”. Believe me when it comes to eating fish I can keep on eating and eating :P
Opps… I forgot to mention, we even got a chance to meet the interior designer who worked for “Culture Aangan”- Goerge. George is more of a free-lance guy who works on multiple projects….. He is so full of passion for his work. I love people who love what they do… believe me there is nothing like that… and our conversation began. We were just so much into the conversation that we wished we had more time. George’s specialty is in the use of natural materials especially bamboo…..(for those who have seen those bamboo boat houses in “Tarkarli” – he is the guy ;)) isn’t that amazing…… It’s actually an awesome blend of ethnicity, nature, and originality ……………….
So finally the time had come to say goodbyes and leave for “Kankavli”. The drive to Kankavli was a speech less drive as we were recollecting so many things in our heads on the way back….. and we finally spoke “it was a fun trip :)”. The trip was almost over, just a last bit of travelling from Kankavli ….. . We waited at the ticket place till midnight and we were amazed to see two fairly strong females handling all the bus rush to Mumbai and Pune. You should have seen their efficiency and dedication; it was incredible how they handled business till midnight. We were the last ones to board our bus, so they waited up with us till we boarded the bus. All I remember is getting up at Swargate….you could see the mess in Pune :P I could feel the rush of blood in my veins, that made me realize that the holiday just got over and I have to go to office today……………………………
I guess, It’s not about how good or bad the place is, I guess it’s more about how good can you make out of it… :) Cheers….. looking forward to more trips like this :)
Monday, October 4, 2010
Konkan Calling Again!!! - Part II
A beautiful morning sunrise accompanied by the birds singing in the background, was a perfect morning to begin with. You actually feel like going out and welcoming the sun in. As soon as you step out, those influential rays seem like filling you up with a new enthusiasm. Enjoying a carefree morning and soaking up energy from the sun….we decided to begin our day. So we embarked the day with a simple and yummy breakfast, some dosa (I can’t recall the exact name) with freshly grated coconut chutney… it was so delicious.
The plan for the day was quite interesting. We were to accompany our hosts to their native village “Mithbav” to celebrate “Ganpati” and then go to a nearby beach. Our hosts (Loke’s) have a 100-year old ancestral home in “Mithbav”, where they celebrate “Ganpati” with their family every year. I was amazed to see their enthusiasm and passion for the celebration and the love for their culture. How many of us could possibly do that? Our hectic life styles and the craziness to do so much in a day don’t leave us with anything in hand. This city life has taken so much fun from us……..
The ancestral home was small with a room and a kitchen… but it was miraculously standing for all these years…and there were no signs of cracks or putty applied or any modification….even the wood was in comparatively better condition. I guess it had much much much better construction than what we have here these days.
Ganpati celebration began with setting up of the “aasan” (sitting place for Ganpati idol). The place was cleaned and decorated well for the lord by the whole family. The males and the kids of the house go to a place where idols are painted for this occasion, to choose and pick the idol they like to take home. The whole village had gathered outside this place to pick their respected idols and carry it home. So finally after looking at more than a dozen of idols the family decided on one. Before taking the ganpati, the face of the lord is covered. The head of the family picks up the Ganpati on his head and carries it all the way to his home barefooted. The sight of so many people carrying Ganpati all the way through the rich green fields was beautiful. This act of devotion was just phenomenal. Once they reach home, the females of the house welcome the lord as they do some aarati and wash the feet of the ones carrying the lord. Then, the lord is seated in his “aasan”.
All the people in the village received us with pleasure as they were very happy to show us around, we even went to some of Loke’s neighbors to have a look at their Ganpati celebrations. It was just very over-whelming as how these people treated us with humility, just because we are guests. I’m truly amazed by Indians when it comes to hospitality; I bet no other country can offer such humbleness.
So finally the “Bhat” (someone who carries out the puja) arrived, and we joined in the prayers with the family. Once the prayer was over, we all gathered for lunch. Lunch was served on a banana leaf, it had very simple and delicious vegetarian food that included bhindi, karela, cabbage, usal etc. …all prepared in traditional style. And how can I forget the sweet dishes, we had some delicious “karanjees“ and “modaks”, as they are considered the lord’s most favorite items.
It was a fun celebration, because even if we live in the same country….we still had so many things to learn from others. So catching up with them, knowing their beliefs, rituals was just wonderful.
We visited some old temples nearby the village. We were amazed to see ‘Bank of Maharashtra’ and ‘Post and telegraph office’ in this remote location. We also spotted a bright yellow house in the middle of the village. Most of the houses used vivid colors that blended very well with the simplicity of this place. “Mithbav” has a very popular beach nearby, so after we were done with the celebrations, we decided to go to the beach. An old temple near the beach and the look of the beach was just beautiful. A quite lonely beach and the sun was playing hide and seek with us. It had a perfect cycle….sunny, then cloudy and then rainy and then again sunny; this continued for all the time we were there. The lonely beach was just perfect setting to take a walk, we felt as our worries were getting washed away by the waves. It was enjoyable as we got a bit drenched, collected shells and felt in sync with ourselves…….. a feeling that is just un-explainable or un-describable……….
It was almost sunset so we headed back to our homestay, all tired but all worth it. We were all set for dinner (by the time you reach here you might be thinking that I’m obsessed with food….well I’m ;)) Dinner was refreshingly vegetarian…… we had mutter-paneer, yellow daal, some kothimbeer vadi with a rice bakri…… it was just delectable. During and after dinner we made sure we interacted with our hosts to make sure we don’t miss any insight.
The day had so much and we were looking for more tomorrow….. and we had planned for a hectic trip tomorrow……
To be continued.......
The plan for the day was quite interesting. We were to accompany our hosts to their native village “Mithbav” to celebrate “Ganpati” and then go to a nearby beach. Our hosts (Loke’s) have a 100-year old ancestral home in “Mithbav”, where they celebrate “Ganpati” with their family every year. I was amazed to see their enthusiasm and passion for the celebration and the love for their culture. How many of us could possibly do that? Our hectic life styles and the craziness to do so much in a day don’t leave us with anything in hand. This city life has taken so much fun from us……..
The ancestral home was small with a room and a kitchen… but it was miraculously standing for all these years…and there were no signs of cracks or putty applied or any modification….even the wood was in comparatively better condition. I guess it had much much much better construction than what we have here these days.
Ganpati celebration began with setting up of the “aasan” (sitting place for Ganpati idol). The place was cleaned and decorated well for the lord by the whole family. The males and the kids of the house go to a place where idols are painted for this occasion, to choose and pick the idol they like to take home. The whole village had gathered outside this place to pick their respected idols and carry it home. So finally after looking at more than a dozen of idols the family decided on one. Before taking the ganpati, the face of the lord is covered. The head of the family picks up the Ganpati on his head and carries it all the way to his home barefooted. The sight of so many people carrying Ganpati all the way through the rich green fields was beautiful. This act of devotion was just phenomenal. Once they reach home, the females of the house welcome the lord as they do some aarati and wash the feet of the ones carrying the lord. Then, the lord is seated in his “aasan”.
All the people in the village received us with pleasure as they were very happy to show us around, we even went to some of Loke’s neighbors to have a look at their Ganpati celebrations. It was just very over-whelming as how these people treated us with humility, just because we are guests. I’m truly amazed by Indians when it comes to hospitality; I bet no other country can offer such humbleness.
So finally the “Bhat” (someone who carries out the puja) arrived, and we joined in the prayers with the family. Once the prayer was over, we all gathered for lunch. Lunch was served on a banana leaf, it had very simple and delicious vegetarian food that included bhindi, karela, cabbage, usal etc. …all prepared in traditional style. And how can I forget the sweet dishes, we had some delicious “karanjees“ and “modaks”, as they are considered the lord’s most favorite items.
It was a fun celebration, because even if we live in the same country….we still had so many things to learn from others. So catching up with them, knowing their beliefs, rituals was just wonderful.
We visited some old temples nearby the village. We were amazed to see ‘Bank of Maharashtra’ and ‘Post and telegraph office’ in this remote location. We also spotted a bright yellow house in the middle of the village. Most of the houses used vivid colors that blended very well with the simplicity of this place. “Mithbav” has a very popular beach nearby, so after we were done with the celebrations, we decided to go to the beach. An old temple near the beach and the look of the beach was just beautiful. A quite lonely beach and the sun was playing hide and seek with us. It had a perfect cycle….sunny, then cloudy and then rainy and then again sunny; this continued for all the time we were there. The lonely beach was just perfect setting to take a walk, we felt as our worries were getting washed away by the waves. It was enjoyable as we got a bit drenched, collected shells and felt in sync with ourselves…….. a feeling that is just un-explainable or un-describable……….
It was almost sunset so we headed back to our homestay, all tired but all worth it. We were all set for dinner (by the time you reach here you might be thinking that I’m obsessed with food….well I’m ;)) Dinner was refreshingly vegetarian…… we had mutter-paneer, yellow daal, some kothimbeer vadi with a rice bakri…… it was just delectable. During and after dinner we made sure we interacted with our hosts to make sure we don’t miss any insight.
The day had so much and we were looking for more tomorrow….. and we had planned for a hectic trip tomorrow……
To be continued.......
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